News / Palestine

Israel demolished, sized 25 Palestinian-owned structures in West Bank in 2 weeks: UN

Saturday, 29 August 2020 3:32 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 29 August 2020 3:33 PM ]

An Israeli bulldozer demolishes Palestinian houses near al-Arub camp, on the outskirts of the occupied West Bank city of al-Khalil, on November 19, 2019, under the pretext that they were built without Israeli authorization in the so-called Area C. (Photo by AFP)

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Palestine says Israel forces have either demolished or seized a total of 25 Palestinian-owned structures in the occupied West Bank in just two weeks.

On Saturday morning, Israeli bulldozers, heavily guarded by the regime’s soldiers, demolished the structures under the pretext of lacking the necessary Israeli-issued building licenses, which are almost impossible to obtain, the OCHA said in a report carried by Palestine's official Wafa news agency.

The report added that the demolitions were carried out from 11 to 24 August, displacing at least 32 Palestinians and affecting 169 others.

Most of these structures were located in different communities in the so-called Area C, which is under full Israeli military control, it further said, adding that nearly all of these structures were livelihood-related.

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A number of these structures were also situated in the East Jerusalem al-Quds, including an under-construction residential building in the Jabal al-Mukkabir neighborhood, the demolition of which triggered clashes resulting in one injury.

The report added that five of these structures in East Jerusalem al-Quds were razed by their owners, who were forced to do so to avoid Israeli-imposed demolition costs.

According to the OCHA, since January, about half of all 118 demolitions in East Jerusalem al-Quds were carried out by the owners, following the issuance of demolition orders by Israeli authorities for lack of construction licenses.

The Tel Aviv regime presses ahead with its expropriation of Palestinian land for the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements.

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Ahmed Amarneh, 30-year-old father of a family and a civil engineer, built his home a year and a half ago.

More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.

All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.

Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.

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